What does this beauty spot have in common with the England 23 selected to play Ireland on Sunday?
The only other exciting news to report is that Ticht found an old version of AoD still extant.
On the telly this week
Friday 21st February
| Crusaders 33 – 13 Highlanders | 06:05 | Sky Sports Action |
| Wales U20 14 – 11 France U20 | 19:35 | BBC Two Wales / BBC Sport website/ BBC red button |
| Zebre 0 – 28 Munster | 19:35 | FreeSports |
| Edinburgh 41 – 14 Connacht | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Ospreys 13 – 21 Leinster | 19:35 | TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
| England U20 21 – 39 Ireland U20 | 19:45 | RTÉ Two / YouTube / Sky Sports Mix |
| Sale 36 – 3 Leicester | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 22nd February
| Rebels 34 – 26 Sharks | 03:45 | Sky Sports Action |
| Chiefs 14 – 26 Brumbies | 06:05 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Reds 64 – 5 Sunwolves | 08:15 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Stormers v Los Jaguares | 13:05 | Sky Sports Action |
| Italy v Scotland | 14:15 | ITV |
| Bulls v Blues | 15:15 | Sky Sports Action |
| Wales v France | 16:45 | BBC One / S4C |
| Glasgow v Dragons | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Ulster v Cheetahs | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 23rd February
| Wales v France (women) | 12:00 | BBC Two Wales / S4C |
| England v Ireland (women) | 12:45 | RTÉ Two / BBC Sport website / Sky Sports Action |
| Exeter v Northampton | 13:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| England v Ireland | 15:00 | ITV |
| Italy v Scotland (women) | 16:10 | BBC Alba / website / red button |
| Cardiff v Treviso | 17:15 | S4C / Premier Sports 2 |
| Scarlets v Southern Kings | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Utna, I was kind of thinking that one is enough per era, and that the back ups only have to be decent. In the world cup era New Zealand have had Grant Fox, Carlos Spencer, Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett.
Each of them had a claim at the World XV jersey.
Anyway, I brought that over in the hope it would prompt a wider discussion on the art of the fly half, rather than be about Edinburgh.
What are your views on tall 10s? I remember Austin Healy saying he think the long levers are a disadvantage when it comes to getting kicks away quickly, I guess it depends on your pack because I don’t recall it being an issue for Sexton or Barrett
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Aussie have had a few good 10s, I can’t help but feel their propensity to play all across the backline might be a hindrance.
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@Ticht
Not sure on Fox. I would say that, in his day, Jiffy and Lynagh would have had better claims.
Traditionally, a tall 10 would have that disadvantage, as Healy points out. But in those days, the ball was heavy, the SH had no protection and you had to deal with it when and how it came.
Now, even if your pack is getting duffed up, this is more likely to be manifested in slow ball and a lack of momentum. Generally, the SH can put his foot on it, call a few forwards in and the 10 can drop back a bit and get an accurate pass on to his favoured foot. So, still crap ball for attack, but you know its coming and have decided to kick and your wingers are ready to chase. You have quite a bit of time.
Back in the day, you would set for attack (flat) and align your centres to run off you. But the opponents would get a shove and your 9 would have to clear by any means necessary, putting you under pressure to get the kick away when you weren’t expecting it. (how often do you see a 9 forced to dive pass or reverse pass from the ruck or scrum nowadays? never!)
A tall man would have to take a pass, maybe at head height, and get himself set to kick, whilst a shorter man (as Healy says) would have a better chance of getting a snap kick away
Plus, guys like Sexton and Barrett and BDB are big bodies and excellent tacklers. They are all also great under the high ball, and height is a big advantage there obviously. There aren’t many diminutive FHs at the top end nowadays. Ford is an exception, of course. Ntamack and Russell aren’t big men by build, but they are definitely taller and heavier than the norm for FHs in, say, the 80s. All of these are good defenders, and will make their tackles, but they are certainly targets for ball carrying forwards who can get front foot ball from running at them.
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Now, can I fire one back at you?
With the emphasis on props getting round the field to carry and jackal (rather than just tackle and ruck/maul), I seem to see a lot of props who start as big back rowers in age group and then bulk up and learn to scrummage, rather than “natural” props coming through and developing as they go. Is this accurate?
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So do we really think BDB is the world XV FH at the moment?
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Yes, yes we do.
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Britain is paralysed by snow, but Fred Flintstone still made it to work
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1. T. Mtawarira
2. C Taylor
3. T Furlong
4. E Etzebeth
5. B Retallick
6. PS Du Toit
7. A Savea
8. G Aldritt
9. A Smith
10. D Biggar
11. C Kolbe
12. T Lafaele
13. M Tuilagi
14. S Radradra
15. S Hogg
Res
M Vunipola
J George
T Tupou
M Itoje
C Ollivon
F de Klerk
B Barrett
J May
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Take that Mars XV
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BDB is certainly world class at arm flapping.
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back to the whole 10 thing, I was thinking (parochially) during my lunchtime swim about The Russell Situation.
FR is a great player but I think he still needs to understand (to a greater extent) that he can’t do everything himself, that he needs to be part of a team structure to be effective. Seen him do it a lot of times, he tries to push it himself when it isn’t on. Doubt this situation would have arisen if he’d still been at Glasgow. Maybe he’s had a bit too much sunshine blown up his hole over in France.
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That’s mostly speculation on my part
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@Chimpie
Got no idea about the mental side, or Finn’s attitude or the impact of French sunshine.
What I would say is, counterintuitively, a player like FR thrives in a highly structured game. Seems weird because he is such an off-the-cuff creative player, but hear me out.
With a team playing fast and loose, the pressure is on him to make things happen, and when it doesn’t, or he stuffs up (which will always happen at time when you play high risk/high gain as FR does), the pressure builds and he need to dig himself out of a hole
I think, in a side coached by, say W Gatland, who would play a highly structured, regimented and tactical game would, ironically, take a lot of decision making off FR as so much would be proscribed and practised and allow him to occasionally bring out the unexpected and create magic, rather than being expected to do so every time he got the ball
I think back to Barry John, who spend 75 mins kicking the leather off the ball each match, but 5 mins of genius when the opportunities were there. Not saying FR is the same as BJ, but the principle stands
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@chimpie
Looking back, thats kind of what you said yourself
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15 Ruaridh Jackson
14 Gerald Davies 2.0
13 Clone of Phil Dollman
12 Thretton Palamo
11 LRZ in space
10 Future Ioan Lloyd
9 Curiosity Rover
1 Joe Marler
2 Captain Alexander Hood
3 Joe the Fridge
4 Local Martian Talent
5 Local Martian Talent
6 Peak Arnie in Total Recall
8 Maxim Gargalic (c)
7 Ned Hanigan
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@ Yosoy
No place for captain Elon?
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“With the emphasis on props getting round the field to carry and jackal (rather than just tackle and ruck/maul), I seem to see a lot of props who start as big back rowers in age group and then bulk up and learn to scrummage, rather than “natural” props coming through and developing as they go. Is this accurate?”
I don’t know, to be honest, Utna. There are a good few hookers in the top flight who started in the back row, but I don’t know of a lot of props who came through the U20s as back row players. Scotland loosehead Rory Sutherland was capped as a schoolboy in the backrow but switched when he moved up to adult rugby.
I don’t honestly know of many more, TomP is yer man for that kind of info.
When I was playing it was just as professionalism came into the game, there was a shift then, nothing to do with the professionalism thing, but there was a shift towards players needing to do more than just their traditional roles. Guys like David Sole were blazing the trail, guys who would play like a fifth backrower (hookers were already expected to do it). You could play that way if you had a monster like Iain Milne on the tighthead because he would anchor the scrum and let everyone else run about.
Then as time went on centres were required to be very good over the ball, there were probably others but BOD is the guy for me, he changed how centres were supposed to play. Now were are at Larry Station, the numbers on the backs don’t matter, everyone has to have the basic skills of being defensively sound, good over the ball and being able to run, catch and pass, then you have key positional skills on top.
It’s a bit like that Jiffy story you mentioned, he came back to needing to tackle flankers, things were the other way round to when he left.
The “extras” you’d get from the best props in the old days are key skills required of everyone on the park, with positional specialisations put on top.
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Sorry, repeated myself at the end there, I edited and got into a bit of a fankle over it
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“your”
CHIEFS SIDE TO FACE HARLEQUINS
15 Phil Dollman, 14 Tom O’Flaherty, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 Olly Woodburn
10 Joe Simmonds (capt), 9 Nic White
1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Elvis Taione, 3 Enrique Pieretto
4 Jannes Kirsten, 5 Sam Skinner
6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 8 Sam Simmonds
16 Jordon Poole, 17 Billy Keast, 18 Harry Williams,19 Jonny Hill, 20 Don Armand, 21 Jack Maunder
22 Gareth Steenson, 23 Ollie Devoto
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It’s that time again, isn’t it?
Must therefore be time to open some wine.
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Utna and ticht, Tendai M was a loose forward when he moved to Durban and Malcolm Marx moved from back row to hooker when he was 16 or 17. Sheridan came out of school as a back row/lock. Ken Owens did 2 to 8 last year. Gethin could have done 6 at a push maybe.
In the old days there were a few guys who played second row and prop – the great Ken Gray is the one that immediately comes to mind.
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I’ve just remembered Alex Brewster, Tam – capped at flanker and then at prop.
There was the infamous Bergamasco caper of course.
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It’s getting on for five o’clock in Europe, Thaum, well past that in Finland.
I miss killer.
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I’ve had the afternoon off; think I’ve shown remarkable restraint waiting until now.
New post up as soon as I can type up the rapidly-diminishing fixture list.
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Dammit I want a drink now.
And yes I have got beer in the house before anyone says anything.
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